The atmosphere in the main hall of the Marquis's residence was eerie.

Because... although the stewards of the Marquis's mansion were all standing close to the wall, trying their best to minimize their presence, their eyes couldn't help but drift towards Prince Jin's face.

After the maid who brought the tea left, Prince Jin finally said with displeasure, "Could you ask some of your stewards to leave?"

Chen Mianmian shook her head, "I'm sorry, no. If Your Highness feels uncomfortable, we can keep this short. You can leave as soon as possible."

Everyone was secretly shocked—was Aunt Shen really going to be so direct? The other party was a prince! Even if she was standing up for the heir, she shouldn't be so impolite, right? Wasn't she afraid of offending the prince?

Prince Jin gave the woman a deep look, then said, "Alright, to make a long story short, I wish to see the Crown Prince."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but my young master has been unwell recently and I'm afraid he won't be able to entertain you properly."

"I don't need him to get out of bed to greet me; he can stay in bed. I just want to apologize in person."

Shen Mianmian asked in confusion, "But Your Highness, the young master's attitude is already very clear. In addition, the last poisoning was indeed a misunderstanding. Your Highness has already expressed your apology. Why are you still blaming yourself like this?"

Prince Jin feigned suspicion, "I only wish to see the Crown Prince. Why do you repeatedly obstruct me? Do you have some shady secret?"

Shen Mianmian was so angry that she laughed. "No, you're going too far! The Marquis has already accepted your apology on your behalf. This time, I, a woman, was given special treatment. No matter how much we pleaded, it was no use. You insisted on seeing the young master. It's you who has a secret that can't be revealed, not us, right?"

It was visibly that the King of Jin's expression stiffened for a moment.

Upon seeing this, Chen Mianmian's smile froze on her face—wait, what does this mean? Is there really a secret that can't be brought to light? Could it be a hidden plot?

But Prince Jin is Prince Jin after all; his expression returned to normal instantly, and apart from the woman closest to him, no one else noticed anything amiss.

Prince Jin got up from his seat.

The prince's attendants, thinking that the prince was about to leave in anger, followed him.

Seeing that Prince Jin and his entourage had left, Chen Mianmian could only get up and see them off at the door, pondering as she walked—did Prince Jin have any secrets? What secrets could they be? Could they be related to a rebellion?

Damn it, that stinky Jinwang! He was so persistent just a few days ago, how come he gave up so easily now? Maybe... I should keep him around and try to get some information out of him?

After taking only two steps, the person in front of me suddenly stopped and turned around.

Chen Mianmian was feeling annoyed when she quickly stopped—although the two didn't collide in a dramatic way, they were too close, close enough for her to smell the incense on the Prince of Jin's body and see the fine stitches of the embroidered patterns on his brocade robe.

She quickly took two steps back.

Prince Jin was also frustrated—he was simply troubled and didn't know what to do, so he decided to take a few steps.

To everyone's surprise, these people immediately followed, acting as if they were seeing the guests off.

It would be better if he didn't leave now.

Chen Mianmian—what should we do? Should we keep her here? The problem is, Prince Jin has a history of wrongdoing with her, and she's still a female member of the royal family. If she asks to keep her here, won't people think differently?

Prince Jin—is he just leaving like this? Maybe we can talk about it another time? But it seems Bai Qingzhou will never see him again. This time he gave face to the Imperial Sister, but what about next time?

Why are the people around here? Are they going to leave or not?

The scene was quite awkward at one point.

In a moment of quick thinking, Chen Mianmian gave a quick glance and said, "Your Highness, I will definitely convey your apology to the Crown Prince."

Prince Jin received the woman's gaze and was startled, but he instantly seized the opportunity. "Hmph, how could I possibly refuse to see you after condescending to come here?"

Before anyone could react, he turned around and strode back to the main seat, plopping down as if determined to achieve his goal.

Chen Mianmian secretly breathed a sigh of relief—it's good that he's back! No, she couldn't just let him go like that; she had to get something out of him.

Just as Shen Mianmian decided to sit back down and reconsider, she discovered that Prince Jin seemed to have sat in the wrong seat, in the very spot where she had just been sitting.

—Never mind, it doesn't matter where I sit, getting information is what matters!

Thinking about it, Chen Mianmian sat down on the other side.

Jin Wang picked up his teacup, pretending to drink tea, but actually stalling for time while thinking about how to persuade the woman to let him see Bai Qingzhou.

Seeing that Prince Jin was drinking tea, Chen Mianmian also picked up her cup and took a sip, while also thinking about how to get information out of him.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Just as Shen Mianmian's lips touched the tea, she suddenly felt a trickle of water flow into her mouth.

"???" Shen Mianmian hurriedly put down her teacup and looked down at the tea inside.

However, the tea soup was clear and contained no foreign matter.

She tried sipping the tea again as before, and this time she didn't feel anything unusual.

She took two more sips, smacked her lips, and the tea tasted fine, so... it was just a hallucination?

At this moment, Prince Jin also noticed the woman's unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Chen Mianmian replied casually while continuing to stare at the teacup.

He paused, then suddenly realized: Damn it! It wasn't the Phoenix Chick standing before him, it was the Prince of Jin!

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and she hurriedly explained, "...I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was rude just now."

He thought to himself, "How can they look so alike? Oh well, I'd better think about how to get more information out of them."

Shen Mianmian asked softly, "This humble woman doesn't understand why Your Highness is so persistent. Is there something else you want to say to the Crown Prince besides apologizing?"

Prince Jin stared intently into the woman's eyes, his mind replaying their first meeting: the woman patting his shoulder, the fleeting glimpse he caught after turning away, and her casual reply to him just moments before.

Unlike now, when we are on high alert.

Indeed, the woman was unusually wary of him, and he could even sense obvious rejection in her eyes.

He even wanted to ask her: Did she hate him that much? Just because he looked like her husband? Because he was amazed by her?

He couldn't understand it, and he was also very jealous.

The King of Jin nodded slightly.

Shen Mianmian bit her lip and said in an even softer voice, "That matter can only be told to the Crown Prince?"

Prince Jin was puzzled as to why the woman asked such a question. People in the inner quarters should not concern themselves with matters in the front courtyard. Moreover, how did she realize that he had another purpose in seeking out the prince?

He nodded again.

Sleepy ...

But what's next?

Should the two of them meet?

She really wanted to know why Prince Jin had rebelled! She needed to gather enough information to make a judgment.

At the same time, she dared not let Prince Jin and the Crown Prince meet, because if the Crown Prince knew the secret, would Prince Jin kill him to silence him?

Of course, Prince Jin wouldn't say it so directly; he would definitely use sweet talk and flattery, because he was afraid that the silly young phoenix would fall for it!